Social and spatial disparities in heat-related mortality in Italy: a nationwide small-area study

Heat-related mortality in Italy shows significant geographical disparities, with socio-economic factors playing a crucial role in vulnerability among older adults.

Summary and findings

This study examined heat-related mortality in Italy among individuals aged ≥ 65 years from 2011 to 2023. The analysis identified geographical disparities in mortality rates linked to environmental and socio-economic factors. Notably, the study reported an estimated 17,828 heat-attributable deaths in 2022.

Abstract

<h4>Summary</h4> <h4>Background</h4> Spatial variation in heat-related mortality remains poorly understood, particularly at fine geographical scales. We conducted a nationwide small-area study to examine the association between spatial variation in heat-related mortality and environmental, demographic, health, and socio-economic factors. <h4>Methods</h4> We obtained daily all-cause mortality data for people aged ≥ 65 years during the summers of 2011– 2023 and linked them with municipality-level daily temperature estimates from the ERA5-Land reanalysis dataset. We applied a two-stage Bayesian hierarchical model to estimate small-area heat-related mortality and assess the contribution of community characteristics to spatial variability. <h4>Findings</h4> Heat-related mortality showed marked geographical differences, with the highest rates in southern and southeastern Italy. Across municipalities, the relative risk at the 90th temperature percentile, relative to the minimum mortality temperature, ranged from 1.06 to 1.33. The heat-attributable fraction exceeded 6% in several southern municipalities, while excess mortality surpassed 8 deaths per 1,000 inhabitants in parts of the Po Valley, Tuscany, Apulia, and Sicily. National heat-attributable mortality peaked in 2022, with an estimated 17,828 deaths (95% credible intervals: 17,339, 18,285) among older adults. Municipalities with higher average temperatures, less green space, higher obesity prevalence, and more residents aged ≥ 85 years had higher heat-related mortality. Educational attainment and employment were among the strongest modifiers of spatial variation. <h4>Interpretation</h4> Our findings highlight substantial small-area differences in heat-related mortality across Italy and identify socio-economic deprivation as a key determinant of vulnerability. Heat is likely to disproportionately affect disadvantaged communities, reinforcing the need for adaptation strategies addressing social inequality. <h4>Funding</h4> Imperial College Research Fellowship; Italian Ministry of Health PNC (CUP J55I22004450001); NIHR Imperial Biomedical Research Center (BRC NIHR203323). <h4>Research in context</h4> <h4>Evidence before this study</h4> Previous studies have shown that heat increases mortality risk, especially among older adults, and that the burden is unevenly distributed across Europe and within Italy. However, evidence on the community characteristics explaining fine-scale spatial disparities in heat-related mortality remains limited. <h4>Added value of this study</h4> This nationwide small-area study estimates municipality-specific heat-related mortality across 7,895 Italian municipalities from 2011 to 2023 and links spatial variation in risk to environmental, demographic, health, and socio-economic factors. <h4>Implications of all the available evidence</h4> Heat adaptation strategies should account for local, social and environmental vulnerability, with targeted interventions for disadvantaged communities and areas with high population vulnerability.

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